Crop harvesting headers which use rotary cutters in replacement for the more conventional sickle knife systems have been available for many years. It is well known that such rotary cutters include a cutter bar or gear train which provides the main structural and drive communication components of the cutter. The cutter bar provides a series of longitudinally spaced vertical drive members each of which drives a respective one of a plurality of cutting disks at spaced positions along the cutter bar. The disks are mounted for rotation about a vertical axis standing upwardly from the cutter bar. The disks carry at a point on their outer edge a plurality, generally two, of flail type blades which rotate with the disk around the vertical axis in a cutting action.
The construction of the cutter bar itself including the suitable gear train is well known and a number of different designs are available which can be used by a person skilled in this art.
Examples of such rotary type cutters are shown in the following documents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,859 (Pruitt) issued Dec. 28, 1993 discloses a mower/conditioner including a cutter bar and rotating disks feeding to a rear discharge opening containing a pair of conditioning rollers. The outermost disk carries a generally cylindrical impeller in the form of an upright cylindrical cage. In front of the discharge opening is a series of disks arranged in counter-rotating pairs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,852 (O'Halloran) issued Nov. 7, 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,064 issued Jul. 18, 1995 (Schmitt) assigned to Hay and Forage Industries of Hesston both show a construction of such a rotary cutter system in which there is a series of the cutter disks at spaced positions across the cutter bar with, at each end, two of the cutter disks extend beyond a central area in front of a discharge opening. In this arrangement the two end disks are driven by a mechanical drive system. The two end disks each carry a rotary transfer element in the form of a series of posts arranged at the periphery of a cylinder surrounding a vertical axis standing upwardly from the disk. The transfer elements act to carry the crop material which is cut by the disks inwardly toward the discharge opening. A conventional crop conditioner in the form of a pair of counter-rotating rollers is mounted across the crop discharge opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,201 (Pruitt) issued Dec. 12, 2000 also assigned to Hay and Forage Industries discloses a modification to the above 852 and 064 patents of HFI where a crop transport roller is added in the crop discharge opening and is arranged to carry crop up to the nip of the conditioner rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,362 issued Jun. 24, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,743 issued Apr. 13, 2004 (Rosenbalm) assigned to Deere and Company both disclose a rotary cutter system which has two end disks outboard of the central discharge opening with a conditioner arranged at the discharge opening for receiving the cut crop and providing a conditioning action. Over the end cutters is arranged an impeller system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,865 (Rosenbalm) issued Jun. 23, 1998 assigned to Deere and Company discloses a rotary cutter system which has two end disks outboard of the central discharge opening with a conditioner arranged at the discharge opening for receiving the cut crop and providing a conditioning action. The conditioner can be either of a flail type or of a fluted roller type.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,921 (Neuerberg) issued Dec. 29, 1998 to Kuhn discloses impellers behind a row of cutting disks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,488 (Neuerberg) issued Mar. 7, 1989 assigned to Kuhn discloses a rotary cutter system which has a frusto-conical cage as the impeller on an end disk where a drive shaft extends into the top of the cage.
EP 358,045 (Ungruh) assigned to Niemeyer Sohne GmbH published Nov. 3, 1993 discloses a mower which has at least four cutting disks arranged in two pairs rotating in the same direction and feeding to the center. Above each disk carries a cylindrical impeller which has a surface running inwardly to carry the crop towards the center. In the region between each of the disks of each pair is a further cylindrical impeller which assists in transporting the crops to the center.
German 32 24 170 (Mortl) published Dec. 29, 1983 discloses a header having a discharge opening behind the outermost cutters of a group which includes four cutters. The group is arranged in two pairs with each pair rotating in opposite directions. Thus the outer cutter of the group rotates inwardly. Outboard of this cutter is provided a further cutter which also rotates inwardly as shown by the arrows. This reference also includes a pair of impellers, each mounted on a respective one of the two outer cutters which act as a conveying device for carrying the crop inwardly. The impeller is generally an upwardly tapered element of triangular cross section.
EP 0 016 661 (Maier) published Nov. 12, 1986 and assigned to Deutz Fahr discloses a cutter bar formed by a series of cutting disks where the end two disks at one end each carry a respective cylindrical impeller for carrying the cut crop to a discharge opening where there is located a conditioner.
German 35 01 133 (Schulze-Selting) published Jul. 17, 1986 also assigned to Deutz Fahr discloses a cutter bar formed by a series of cutting disks where the end disk at one end carries a respective cylindrical impeller for carrying the cut crop to an opening and there is provided an intermediate suspended impeller over the next disk where the suspended impeller is frusta-conical.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,982 (Vissers) issued May 25, 1982 and assigned to Multinorm discloses a series of rotary cutters with a pair of conditioning rollers which extend transversely or laterally across the mower narrower than the cutting zone and located in a discharge opening. An auger which forms a large center gathering auger behind the rotary cutters provides a flight on the auger defining two auger elements, one at each end, and moves upwardly and rearwardly from the cutting plane to the nip to convey the crop cut by the cutting disks to the nip. The cutters are arranged in three pairs with each pair rotating in opposite direction so as to tend to feed the material between the pair. Behind the pairs is located an auger type converging system which carries the cut crop over the auger tube while tending to move the crop material inwardly to the discharge opening. The overshot auger is mounted across the entire cutting width of the machine and is journalled in the side panels. The drive for the auger is located outside of the cutting zone. No stripper or rear pans are used to prevent crop wrapping and escape. No other feed devices such as drums are use in conjunction with the overshot auger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,163 (Gantzer) issued Jan. 13, 1981 and assigned to Kuhn discloses a series of rotary cutters arranged in pairs with each pair rotating in opposite direction so as to tend to feed the material between the pair. On top of the end pair is located a vertical belt type converging system with an end roller coaxial with the end cutter and a second vertical roller spaced inwardly and rearwardly from the end roller so that the belt carries the cut crop inwardly to the discharge opening.
EP 0,524,668 (van der Lely) published Jan. 27, 1993 and assigned to Van Der Lely discloses a series of rotary cutters arranged in pairs with each pair rotating in opposite direction so as to tend to feed the material between the pair. Behind the end pair is located a rotary crop displacing member which carries the cut crop inwardly to the discharge opening. This is formed by a plurality of tines which extend radially from a horizontal shaft mounted along the line of travel and above the cutters. The end disk also carries a drum type impeller.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,077 (Hale) issued Sep. 29, 1959 discloses conditioner rollers in front of which is mounted a rotating roller which rotates to feed crop upwardly and rearwardly into the nip. Forwardly of the roller is located a sickle blade type cutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,324 (McCarty) issued Dec. 26, 1961 discloses a pair of conditioner rollers feeding into a nip therebetween. A roller is located in front of and below the nip of the conditioner roller and rotates in a direction to feed crop into the nip.
Canadian 2,166,671 (Savoie) published Apr. 6, 1997 discloses a disc cutter and a conveyor roller which feeds into the nip between a pair of conditioning rolls located in a discharge opening behind and narrower than the cutter.
US published Patent Application 2005/0126142 (Rosenbalm) now U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,381 assigned to Deere discloses three cage type impellers arranged across the outermost three disks where the bottom disk of the impeller is formed as a frusto-conical member converging upwardly and inwardly to the cage bars.
The 995 disk mower of Deere as disclosed in US published Patent Application 2008/0016837 (Rosenbalm) has a converging system of the type shown in the above patent of Rosenbalm which acts to carry the crop to the discharge opening where the conditioner when provided is located. When the conditioner is omitted, a vertical converging roller is mounted immediately inward of the outer edge of discharge opening with a textured outer surface to transport the crop material inwardly of the width of the discharge opening. A second roller is also provided which has its axis inclined upwardly inwardly across the top of the swath so as to attempt to act to compress the side edges of the swath downwardly and inwardly for improved consolidation. This arrangement is designed for an 8 or 10 disk machine but is ineffective at providing a properly consolidated swath of a required width.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,609 (Meier) published Apr. 26, 1988 discloses a conditioner rotatably arranged around a horizontal axis extending substantially across the width of the mowing rotors and arranged with its forward edge immediately behind the axes of the rotors. The conditioner includes a shaft with left and right pitched auger flights which join at approximately the longitudinal center of the shaft so that the cut hay is directed into a single narrow swath in the center behind the conditioner. Conditioning tools are secured along the outer edge of the auger flights and the conditioner is rotated in a direction causing an overshot movement of the hay from the mowing rotors.
British Patent 1,597,276 assigned to Multinorm BV published Sep. 3, 1981 discloses a tractor drawn rotary agricultural mower which has transverse auger behind the cutting rotors working inside a guard to carry the cut crop toward one end of the header to form a swath. The auger rotates in a direction so that the material passes underneath the auger and is confined by a pan to move upwardly and rearwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,340,876 issued Mar. 11, 2008 which corresponds to US Published Application 200810066440 filed Sep. 15, 2006 and published Mar. 23, 2008 and to Canadian application 2,559,353 discloses an arrangement which provides impellers of an hour glass shape arranged at the outer cutter disks. The disclosure of this document is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,888 issued Nov. 25, 2008 which corresponds to US Published Application 2008/0066441 filed Sep. 15, 2006 and published Mar. 23, 2008 and to Canadian application 2,559,217 discloses an arrangement which provides a transfer roller between the cutter disks and the conditioning rollers where the transfer roller is of the same diameter as the bottom roll and carries high ribs preferably forwardly inclined for an aggressive action on the crop. The roller is mounted with its axis above the cutting plane and its uppermost edge of the ribs at or above the axis of the bottom roll. The disclosure of this document is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,356,982 issued Apr. 15, 2008 which corresponds to US Published Application 2008/0066439 filed Feb. 15, 2007 and published Mar. 23, 2008 and to Canadian application 2,578,907 discloses another arrangement which provides impellers of an hour glass shape arranged at the outer cutter disks. The disclosure of this document is incorporated herein by reference.
US Published Application 2009/0071116 filed Jul. 23, 2008 and published Mar. 23, 2009 which corresponds to Canadian application 2,639,032 discloses an arrangement where a swath converging apparatus is mounted in the mouth of the opening and is formed by two pairs of upstanding cylindrical rollers rotatable about their axes in a direction to carry the crop inwardly of the discharge opening. The pairs are mounted on respective top and bottom plates which pivot about the axis of the outer roller with the latter extending forwardly to overlap a floor plate of the cutter bar. The disclosure of this document is incorporated herein by reference.
In many cases the discharge opening contains a conditioner for engaging and breaking or fracturing the crop to improve drying action as the swath is left in the field. Such conditioners can be of a number of different types but one common type uses a pair of fluted rollers which form a nip so that the crop is bent as it passes between the flutes.
In a brochure issued by AGCO on Jul. 15, 2008 of the 9190 and 9192 ROTARY DISK HEADERS is disclosed on page 6 the use of small short “rear augers” at each end of the cutter bar which are defined as “located behind the crop cages which act to reduce crop build up behind the cutter bar. This allows crop to easily flow into the conditioner rolls, especially when cutting less than a full head width.” This arrangement is shown and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,108 (Pruitt) issued Jun. 1, 2010.
In Published US application 2008/0256920 published Oct. 23, 2008 by Aaron Yanke is disclosed a mower conditioner in which auger flight elements are located at the ends of the cutter bar for carrying the crop material inwardly to the pair of conditioning rolls.